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Eating Disorder SymptomNCT03348345

Efficacy of Eat Breathe Thrive, a Yoga-Based Program

A study testing Eat Breathe Thrive in people with Eating Disorder Symptom, run by University at Buffalo at 1 site in United States.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of the 7-week Eat Breathe Thrive (EBT) program which was designed to increase positive body image, awareness, self-regulation, and mindful eating habits. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 65 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Eating Disorder Symptom
What is being tested?
Eat Breathe Thrive
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
266 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
31 Jan 2018to 4 Oct 2019
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 65 years
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Those included will be men and women between the ages of 18 and 65 who are not pregnant, are willing to sign the consent form, are English-speakers, have not taken EBT before, and have been deemed eligible to participate in the EBT program by EBT facilitators.

Who cannot join

  • Since the scope of this study is adult, non-pregnant English-speaking adults, those excluded will be men and women who are below 18 years old or above 65, pregnant, unable/refuse to sign the consent form, non-English speakers, have taken EBT before, and whom have been deemed ineligible to participate in the EBT program by EBT facilitators.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • University at Buffalo

    Buffalo, New York, 14260

Other trials in United States

About this study

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of the 7-week Eat Breathe Thrive (EBT) program which was designed to increase positive body image, awareness, self-regulation, and mindful eating habits. This program aims to achieve these things through psychoeducation of cultural influences of beauty standards, the basic neuropsychological systems in the body and how they affect eating habits, creating a community within the group members for support, and finally through the practice of yoga. In this randomized-controlled trial (RCT), investigators will be looking at whether EBT is effective in a community sample of adult (18-65 years old) men and women at preventing and decreasing eating disorder risk and increasing positive body image and emotion regulation skills through being in tune with one's own body, mind, and community. This will take place in a sample of community members taken at ten different sites around the United States and the United Kingdom.

Read the detailed description

Background: Eating disorders appear predominantly in three types; Anorexia Nervosa [AN]. Bulimia Nervosa [BN], and Binge Eating Disorder [BED]. All three are complex, dangerous mental disorders which deeply affect the quality of life and well-being of the person struggling with it. Eating disorders often sprout from difficulty regulating oneself, and presents as a disturbance of both body image, eating behaviors, and relationship to themselves and others. Since these disorders cause deep disruption between the body and the mind of the person affected, it is imperative that a mind-body approach be taken into consideration for both prevention and treatment options. Likewise, interpersonal relationships are known to suffer as a result of eating disorder symptomatology, and as such, increasing positive social interaction and closeness through community building can act as a support for those affected by this illness. Combining a focus of oneself within support system is one way eating disorders can be healed and even prevented. Since eating disorders are lethal illnesses, prevention of development should be investigated. With a focus on self and body acceptance, community support, and psychoeducation into eating disorders and possible causes, prevention methods can flourish. The Eat Breathe Thrive program has been utilized in communities, eating disorder clinics, and school systems with positive expressed outcomes. Participants in these populations have reported benefits of feeling more empowered, more connected to themselves and others, and more aware of their body's responses to media's attempts at conveying cultural beauty standards. Eat Breathe Thrive aims to accomplish these benefits through community building within a group atmosphere, as well as through yoga, which has been used in the past as an eating disorder prevention and recovery tool via the mind-body connection. By incorporating mind-body practices such as yoga into a program that emphasizes community, self-acceptance, and cultural influence awareness, Eat Breathe Thrive is able to lower eating disorder risk among many populations. From engaging with others and developing a strong investment in themselves, the individuals are then able to sustain proper health, relationships, and overall well-being.

The study will utilize self-report surveys to examine the preventative effects of participation in EBT, a 7-week course, utilizing a randomized-controlled trial (RCT) with a community sample of adult (18-65 years old) men and women.

It is hypothesized that: 1) intervention groups will show a decrease in eating disorder symptoms when compared to controls, 2) intervention groups will show increased in self-care behaviors compared to controls, 3) intervention groups will show an increase in measures of embodied intimacy and a decrease in social and emotional intimacy when compared to controls, 4) intervention groups will show an increase in interoceptive awareness and mindful eating when compared to controls, 5) intervention groups will show a decrease in difficulties with emotion regulation and an increase in distress tolerance when compared to controls, 6) intervention groups will show an increase in their overall mental health functioning, 7) those who are enrolled in two consecutive EBT groups will show better maintenance of increased wellbeing as well as better maintenance in decreased symptomatology as compared to those who took the intervention only one time.

Data will be collected from ten sites around the United States and the United Kingdom where certified Eat Breathe Thrive community facilitators teach the program. Since each group is ran by two facilitators, each group will be recruiting twenty individuals (ten per facilitator) from the community for their respective program for a total of 200 participants. According to calculations of a power analysis, a minimum sample size of 114 participants is required. Given that the average number of participants enrolled in EBT groups is 10-20, investigators believe the sample size of 200 to be attainable across the 10 sites. Each EBT facilitator will recruit at a rate of ten or more participants, resulting in twenty to thirty per group so that each group has at least twenty participants after they are randomized. These participants will be screened by research assistant and doctoral student Esther Estey, to ensure they meet the inclusion criteria and have been deemed eligible to participate in the EBT program by EBT facilitators.

Setting: The facilities in which research will be conducted include the University at Buffalo, yoga studios, and community centers. All locations will be private and confidential.

Data Collection:

  • Participants will be assessed at pre-post, and at three month follow up
  • Participants will be assessed daily through a phone app for Ecological Momentary Assessments (EMAs)
  • Facilitators will complete a Treatment Integrity Check and submit attendance online once per week to maintain adherence to treatment and program protocols and standards. The treatment integrity check will be scored yes or no for a total score for the group.

Data Management and Statistical Analysis: Investigators will use a pretest-posttest randomized control group design. Only quantitative data will be provided for analysis. Specifically, responses on assessment measures, completed at pre- and post-test will be analyzed using a statistical analysis program such as SPSS. All data collected from the online surveys will be screened, checked for outliers, missing data, and other issues. Appropriate techniques will be used for missing data depending on the patterns and frequency (e.g. multiple imputation). Descriptive statistics will be calculated to determine the transfer of Eat Breathe Thrive curriculum concepts from the course into the lives of the participants. An analysis of variance will help in determining whether the Eat Breathe Thrive program had improved outcome results compared to the controlled group at the end of the program and 3 months following program completion.

Quality Assurance: The lead investigator will provide updated copies of all forms (IRB approval, consent forms, protocol, and HIPPA authorization) to each site. There will be weekly contact with each site in order to maintain consistency and support throughout the duration of the study. These check-ins will be done by the lead investigator herself, or two of the Master's level research assistants. All facilitators of groups will complete weekly integrity measures online after every EBT session via email link sent out by research assistant in order to maintain compliance to study protocol. Facilitators will be available for bi-weekly individual phone meetings as well as bi-weekly online group conference calls (through Zoom, which is HIPAA compliant, or other HIPAA compliant web formats). Other forms of bi-weekly communication may include email, text, or other technological means.

Plan to Address Missing Data: Quantitative data (pre and post) will be collected using an online data management software (e.g., SelectSurvey.Net). Access to the researchers' account is secure with a password shared only by lead study researchers. Data will be screened for outliers, suspect patters, or any anomalies in the data set. Dr. Guyker will oversee this and research members will use appropriate techniques to correct and/or work with missing data (e.g. multiple imputation).

Provisions to Monitor Data and Ensure Safety of Subjects: Any evidence that a participant may be at imminent risk (e.g., suicidality, self-harm), whether expressed during the program or upon completing measures, will be immediately addressed by the group facilitators and/or researchers. Specific to facilitators, participants exhibiting these behaviors will be referred, by a their facilitator, to a local treatment provider according to EBT protocol and dismissed from the EBT program as well as discontinued from the study as to protect from further harm. Facilitators will abide by EBT protocol for ensuring safety of participants and withdrawing participants who pose risk to the group. Investigators will survey the data the week after data collection at each assessment point (pretest, posttest 1, posttest 2, and follow-up. If investigators notice any patterns where it might be indicative of the participant needing extra support, investigators will notify the appropriate facilitator to do a referral. The PI and doctoral student Esther Estey will meet and evaluate the data set, watching for trends that are concerning. Although investigators will not be assessing for suicidality and danger to others, investigators will report to facilitators if they notice any general trends that suggest that a participant might need support. The facilitator will then follow up with the participant and provide a referral as indicated.

Being tested
Eat Breathe Thrive
Keywords
eating disorders, prevention, yoga, mindfulness, embodiment, self-regulation, functional action, interoceptive awareness
Medical subject headings
Feeding and Eating Disorders, Self-Control

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Eat Breathe ThriveBehavioural

    Eat Breathe Thrive (EBT) program which was designed to increase positive body image, awareness, self-regulation, and mindful eating habits. This program aims to achieve these things through psychoeducation of cultural influences of beauty standards, the basic neuropsychological systems in the body and how they affect eating habits, creating a community within the group members for support, and finally through the practice of yoga.

Study groups in NCT03348345
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Eat Breathe Thrive InterventionExperimentalA manualized program designed to prevent eating disorders using psychoeducation, group work, and yoga.
Receives: Behavioral: Eat Breathe Thrive
Wait-ListNo interventionParticipants are placed on a wait-list receiving no intervention.

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Ecological Momentary Assessments (EMA's)

    These questions assess eating disorder symptoms, positive coping, and emotion regulation and are sent randomly to participants' mobile phones up to three questions per day.

    Measured: 7 weeks

  2. Integrity Scale

    Self-report measure of truth and honesty questions. Participants are asked to indicate in the past week whether it's been very difficult, difficult, neutral, easy, or very easy to be honest in the past week with self and with others (1 = very difficult, 2 = difficult, 3= neutral, 4 = easy, 5 = very easy ) and how honest they've been in the past week with themselves and others (1 = not at all honest (about 0%), 2 = a little honest (about 25% of the time), 3= somewhat honest (about 50% of the time), 4 = quite honest (about 75% of the time), 5 = extremely honest (nearly 100% of the time). Higher scores indicate better outcomes (higher levels of ability to be honest and higher frequencies of being honest).

    Measured: 7 weeks

  3. The PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5)

    Self-report measure of PTSD symptoms

    Measured: 7 weeks

  4. Functional Appreciation Scale (FAS)

    Self-report measure of levels of functionality appreciation. Participants are asked to indicate the extent to which they agree with statements on appreciation for the functionality of their body (strong agree, disagree, neither agree nor disagree, agree, or strongly agree). Scores on the seven FAS items are averaged, with higher scores reflecting higher levels of functionality appreciation.

    Measured: 7 weeks

  5. Body Appreciation Scale (BAS)

    Self-report scale of body appreciation. Scale assesses extent of appreciation for one's body. Responses for 10 items are on a 5-point scale (1 = Never, 5 = Always). Scoring procedure entails averaging participants' responses to Items 1-10. Higher scores indicate higher levels of body appreciation.

    Measured: 7 weeks

  6. Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q)

    Participants are to indicate on how many of the past 28 days have they engaged in eating disordered behaviors (0 = no days, 6 = every day) and to what extent have they experienced eating disordered-related cognitions and emotions (0 = not at all, 6 = markedly). It provides frequency data on key behavioral features of eating disorders in terms of number of episodes of the behavior and in some instances number of days on which the behavior has occurred. It provides subscale scores on the severity of aspects of the psychopathology of eating disorders. Subscales are Restraint, Eating Concern, Shape Concern and Weight Concern. The ratings for the relevant items are added together and the sum divided by the total number of items forming the subscales. Higher scores indicate worse outcomes.

    Measured: 7 weeks

  7. Mindful Self-Care Scale-Short (MSCS-S)

    The MSCS-S is a 33-item scale that measures the self-reported frequency of behaviors that measure self-care behavior. Subscales are positively correlated with body esteem and negative correlated with substance use and eating disordered behavior. There are six additional clinical questions and two general questions for a total of 42 items. The scale helps identify areas of strength and weakness in mindful self-care behavior and assess interventions that serve to improve self-care. The 6 domains are: physical care, supportive relationships, mindful awareness, self-compassion and purpose, mindful relaxation, and supportive structure. There are also 6 clinical items and 3 general items assessing the individual's general/global practices. Participants are asked to indicate the frequency of their self-care behavior over the past week (how much or how often on a scale of 0= never to 6-7 = regularly). The number of items in each domain are averaged. Higher scores indicate better outcome.

    Measured: 7 weeks

  8. Embodied Intimacy Scale (EIS)

    The EIS is a 10-item scale that assesses levels of embodied intimacy in relationship with self and others (i.e. body expression, body awareness, ability to communicate through the body, ability to maintain boundaries through physical touch). Range is from 0 = never to 5, always. Items 4, 5, and 6 are reversed scored. To score, items are summed and averaged by total number of items. The higher the score, the higher the level of embodied intimacy.

    Measured: 7 weeks

  9. Social Subscale of the Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults-Short (SELSA-S)

    The SELSA-S consists of 15 items assessing social and emotional loneliness. It has a 7-point Likert-type response scale ranging from 1 (strongly agree) to 7 (strongly disagree). There are three subscales: Social, Family, and Romantic. Subscale scores are computed by calculating the mean of subscale item responses. Items 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 9, 11, 12, and 14 are reversed scored. To compute a total score, items indicated are reversed scored then a total mean is computed. High scores indicate high levels of emotional and social loneliness.

    Measured: 7 weeks

  10. Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA)

    The MAIA is a 32-item self-report measure of interoceptive body awareness. It assesses 8 constructs: Noticing, Non-Distracting, Not-Worrying, Attention Regulation, Emotional Awareness, Self-Regulation, Body Listening, and Trusting. The range is from 0 = never, to 5 = always. Summary Score = sum of subscale scores average of each subscale scores ÷ 5. Reverse-score items are 5, 6, and 7 on Not-Distracting, and items 8 and 9 on Not-Worrying. The higher the score, the higher the levels of interoceptive body awareness.

    Measured: 7 weeks

  11. Mindful Eating Questionnaire (MEQ)

    Self-report measure of mindful eating

    Measured: 7 weeks

  12. Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS)

    DERS is a 36-item multidimensional assessment of emotion regulation and dysregulation. Total score is the sum of all subscales. The measure yields a total score as well as scores on six sub-scales: Nonacceptance of emotional responses, Difficulty engaging in Goal-directed behavior, Impulse control difficulties, Lack of emotional awareness, Limited access to emotion regulation strategies, and Lack of emotional clarity. Range is from 0 = never to 5 = always. Higher scores suggest greater problems with emotion regulation.

    Measured: 7 weeks

  13. Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS)

    DTS is a 15-item assessment of beliefs about feelings of distress. Range is from 1 = strongly agree to 5 = disagree. Item 6 is reverse scored. Subscale scores are the mean of the items. The higher-order DTS is formed from the mean of the four subscales. The higher the score, the more positive the outcome.

    Measured: 7 weeks

  14. Substance Abuse subscale of College Counseling Assessment of Psychological Symptoms (CCAPS)

    Self-report measure of substance abuse. Range is from "never used" to "used 30-60 days in the past 60 days" to assess alcohol and substance use and on the item concerning drinking, three or fewer to seven or more drinks. The higher the score, the more negative the outcome.

    Measured: 7 weeks

  15. Self-Compassion Scale-Short (SCS-S)

    The SCS-S scale assesses levels of self-compassion. Range is from 1 = almost never to 5 = almost always. Subscale scores are computed by calculating the mean of subscale item responses. To compute a total self-compassion score, reverse score the negative subscale items - self-judgment, isolation, and over-identification (i.e., 1 = 5, 2 = 4, 3 = 3, 4 = 2, 5 = 1) - then compute a total mean. The higher the score, the higher the level of self-compassion.

    Measured: 7 weeks

  16. Demographic information

    Questions on demographic information

    Measured: 7 weeks

  17. State-Trait Anxiety Inventory for Adults

    Self-report measure of anxiety symptoms

    Measured: 7 weeks

  18. Beck's Depression Inventory

    A self-report measure of depression symptoms

    Measured: 7 weeks

  19. Treatment Integrity

    A weekly assessment of treatment integrity

    Measured: 7 weeks

  20. Pre-Post Class Questions

    A weekly assessment of stress, relaxation and embodiment

    Measured: 7 weeks

  21. EBT Program Acceptability and Feasibility Questions

    Post-test assessment of participants' perceptions of acceptability and feasibility of the EBT program

    Measured: 7 weeks

Secondary outcomes (2)
  1. Program Questions for Post-Test and Follow Up

    Post-test assessment of other mind-body activities engaged in during time of study

    Measured: 7 weeks

  2. Brief COPE Inventory

    Description of coping mechanisms during stressful events

    Measured: 7 weeks

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted20 Nov 2017
  2. Study start31 Jan 2018
  3. Primary completion4 Oct 2019
  4. Study completion4 Oct 2019

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Crossover
Model description
A computer system will randomly select 100 participants (from 200) to be enrolled in the Eat Breathe Thrive (EBT) intervention group (once a week for two hours) and the other 100 will be wait-listed (WL) for seven weeks. Assessments will be done at week 1 and week 7. At week 7, WL will be enrolled in the 7-week Eat Breathe Thrive program. A second post-test will be given at the end of the second round of Eat Breathe Thrive, administered to those 100 participants only. There will also be three month follow up for all 200 participants.
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
266 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03348345
Sponsor's protocol ID
EBTC01
Status last verified
Sep 2020
First submitted
16 Nov 2017
Last updated
3 Oct 2022
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No: Data sharing is not included in the IRB.

Publications

  • Cook-Cottone, C. P. (2006). The attuned representational model for the primary prevention of eating disorders: An overview for school psychologists. Psychology in the Schools, 43, 223-230.

  • Cook-Cottone CP. Incorporating positive body image into the treatment of eating disorders: A model for attunement and mindful self-care. Body Image. 2015 Jun;14:158-67. doi: 10.1016/j.bodyim.2015.03.004. Epub 2015 Apr 15.

    PubMed 25886712
  • Cook-Cottone, C. P., Tribole, E., & Tylka, T. (2013). Healthy eating in schools: Evidenced-based interventions to help kids thrive. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

  • McIntosh VV, Bulik CM, McKenzie JM, Luty SE, Jordan J. Interpersonal psychotherapy for anorexia nervosa. Int J Eat Disord. 2000 Mar;27(2):125-39. doi: 10.1002/(sici)1098-108x(200003)27:23.0.co;2-4.

    PubMed 10657886

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Eat Breathe Thrive in people with Eating Disorder Symptom, run by University at Buffalo at 1 site in United States.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 3 Oct 2022. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Ecological Momentary Assessments (EMA's) (time frame: 7 weeks). The study lists 21 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT03348345, which also lists 4 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 3 Oct 2022.

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